Welcome!!! I have decided to take a journey deep into my inner self to discover a deeper sense of peace and maybe even to get some of life's most puzzling questions answered. Feel free to join me on this journey and leave your thoughts...

Monday, October 31, 2011

Living Your Life

“What is life about?”

As I think about all of the people suffering globally during this economic recession I am reminded of my own pitfalls and sometimes I find myself feeling as if I just don’t measure up. I feel like a lesser version of the self I had planned to be and the self I am capable of being. There’s a part of me that feels like a failure.

But somehow, I know this isn’t the right mindset. Life is not about how much money you have, how much property you own, or who knows and respects your name. It just is… Despite hard times and struggle, I’m still me.

What remains the same? You might lose valued material possessions and you might even go without things you need, but there is still a part of you that is able to find joy, meaning, and hope, because you are the same, human, with or without material things.



“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” –John Lennon


Sometimes I think about those people who, at the beginning of the current economic crisis, owned their own home, then abruptly lost it due to foreclosure, and are now homeless. Then I have in my mind the stories about visionaries who had that one wonderful idea then became rich! Then I think about all the people in Mexico who dream of coming to the United States with the hope of making a better life for themselves. Then I say to myself that none of it matters.

Whether I am a day laborer in India, a cashier at your local department store, a teller at a bank, or one of the un-named people in Bible stories who roamed around with Jesus and Moses all day, at the end of the day, none of those things are what life is all about.



Life is about living. Living is enjoying the smile on a baby’s face, the aroma of a pretty flower, the soothing sounds of nature, the kindness of a stranger, or the warmth of a friend. It's about taking a moment to lie down in the grass to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. It's about taking the time to listen to and enjoy complete silence.



Bask in the charm of the night sky. Look up and take into your being, the beauty of the moon and stars. Try to find the Big Dipper/Little Dipper. If it’s too cloudy but there’s a full moon, observe the way the light cuts in and out of the clouds in the night sky. Over time, these marvels of nature have not changed much and you can feel complete knowing that millions who lived before you looked up and saw the same thing. Just remember to breathe it all in. Forget about the madness in your life, the politics of the world, and lay the drama aside. Take a moment for yourself and be engulfed by the darkness, the oneness, and the stillness of nature.

Then sleep. Then wake-up. Then eat. Then work. Then play. But most importantly, live. Your existence on this earth is only fleeting and temporary. When you’re gone, your friends and loved ones will bury you in the ground and say good-bye, forever. Life as you knew it will truly be over. So today while you are alive, be sure to live. Time will keep ticking no matter how much you plan and no matter how much you worry.

So don’t ever lose sight of what LIFE is all about. It is about waking up in the morning and just being alive. We can’t really be sure of what the next month or year will bring or even certain that we will be here among the living. But at the end of the day, if you have food, clothing, shelter, and your health, you’re living a pretty good life.

And should you get sick and become unable to pay your medical bills, then you will eventually die as did billions of people before you. But until that sad day, what you have left is time. It's time to enjoy the rest of the life you have on this earth.



Meditation: Today I am grateful for every little thing, every peaceful moment, every opportunity.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Is The Devil Hijacking Black Youth Culture? Part II

This is a follow-up to my previous blog about the negative, downhill moral journey of black youth culture. I have to admit that I got a little flack for the last article. People said I was being judgemental and that I thought I was perfect... So how bout this one? I know and believe that black culture is (or can be) so much more than just a combination of risky sexual behavior, drug-use, illegal drug activity, etc. And it is my personal opinion that this type of lifestyle should not be glorified! Children as well as adults see their heroes engaged in this type of activity and they seek to imitate it. Then it becomes almost normal or expected to continue the pattern.



My focus for this article is pop sensation Rihanna, and her new video, "We Found Love." I can relate to Rihanna and I admire her creativity but I still believe that the image she puts forth as a young black woman is irresponsible.

I do love her and most of her work, tho!

This video was brought to my attention by "The Grio" on Facebook.

The Grio's Chris Witherspoon published this article--> 15 most telling moments in Rihanna's 'We Found Love'





Rihanna's "We Found Love"




Here are my thoughts on the video as well as the article.

Risk-taking behavior at it's highest!

1.) The slot machine symbolizes risk taking. As does her other video, "Russian Roulette." So does behavior like jumping on tables in public places, doing lots of drugs(and also the way that they do them, like smoking 4 joints, or whatever that was, at 1 time) and last but not least, remaining in an abusive relationship.



2.) In the scene where she was passed out, Chris Witherspoon interpreted that the man was trying to "comfort her in a drunken stupor." To me he looked worried. Also, there were ambulance lights flashing in-between that scene.

3.) In the end she was balled up into a corner because she realized that she needed to change her life but it was hard...also she was detoxing. She's detoxing from the relationship, which itself was like a drug--> like she said, "wanting the good without the bad."

4.) I don't think people realize the reality of how much drug use/abuse can contribute to poor decision making! If I was high on drugs all the time, I might fall in love with a tree!

5.) She's sick and she knows it...And she's only 23yrs old. Wow...

In the song "Rehab" off her 2nd album, she says, "I gotta check into rehab cause baby you're my disease." (Yeah, the video with Justin Timberlake as her love interest.)
Well, this is her 6th album, so it seems like she's been dealing with these issues for at least the length of her entire music career!

6.) I applaud her for her creativity! However, I think a lot of kids will watch and think it's just cool to get high and f**k...

Skorpion Show Review


Click here for more info on Rihanna and Chris Brown.


When I Became A Man (Spoken Word)







On another note (and completely off topic I guess), the "We Found Love" video reminds me of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." Although, "We Found Love" reaches a little deeper and kind of looks more like a nightmare than a dream! A drug-induced one!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The MRSA-Staph Boogedy Man

I was recently bit by the MRSA bug which I previously thought was the equivalent of the Boogedy Man. I rarely watch the news but I had a few buzzlings in my ear about this new so-called killer infection that was going around. I thought, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like bird flu, swine flu, and the African killer bees, right? Yeah, some people got it and died from it but it’s nothing major to worry about, especially nothing to PANIC about..."



Well, this is a warning to those who are not believers! The Boogedy Man is REAL! You just don’t realize it until he catches you!

My Story:

My doctor tried one antibiotic shot and a combination of two oral antibiotics...didn't work, just got bigger. My temp was 99.5 without pain relievers.

The next day, he then attempted to drain it...didn't drain. Without pain reliever, my temp was 99.5. I was given a larger dose of the antibiotic shot and told to continue the oral antibiotics...didn't work, but did not get any bigger.

The next day, my temp was 100.8 without any pain relievers. The doctor replaced one of the oral antibiotics I was taking with a stronger antibiotic and opened up the hole a little bit more, and it worked... Five days later, it had gone down and did not have any drainage, however I decided to keep covering the incision with guaze and tape (or a band-aid) until it healed completely.

From Thursday to Monday I actually lost 7 lbs! No complaints there!




10 days after I 1st noticed the infection...









Info from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Staphylococcus aureus, often referred to simply as “staph,” is a type of bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. Sometimes, staph can cause an infection. Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States. Most of these skin infections are minor (such as pustules and boils) and can be treated without antibiotics. However, staph bacteria also can cause serious infections (such as surgical wound infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia).

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) refers to types of staph that are resistant to a type of antibiotic methicillin. MRSA is often resistant to other antibiotics, as well. While 25% to 30% of the population is colonized with staph (meaning that bacteria are present, but not causing an infection with staph), approximately 1% is colonized with MRSA.

More Links:

1. Staph Article from www.TeensHealth.org

2. Click here for a really unbelievable case found on Oprah.com:
Dr. Oz's Warning About MRSA and Deadly Bacteria


How can you prevent the spread of Staph/MRSA infection?

1.) Keep your immune system in check. Your body's ability to fight off infections can determine how sick this superbug can make you, if you even get an infection at all. (See "Myra's Weight Loss Challenge")


2.) Don't take antibiotics when you're not sick. Don't take antibiotics to treat viruses (viral infections) because they will not work. Be sure to use antibiotic ointments sparingly on cuts and scrapes or not at all.

Bacteria are living organisms just like humans and giraffes. Years ago, giraffes used to have short necks. Then something happened to the climate where the trees grew taller and the food source was now high up in the air. So the giraffes with really short necks eventually died out and the ones with long necks survived because they were able to get food. Today, all giraffes have long nexts.


Wait a minute...I think that's called natural selection... so maybe it was a little bit of natural selection and possibly a bit genetic adaptation/mutation whereby the genes began to change to ensure the survival of the species. Scientists believe that the giraffes began stretching their necks to get the food and this also caused their genes to mutate. So over time, with natural selection and genetic mutation, all giraffes came to have long necks.








So that's what happens to bacteria. The strong ones survive, adapt, and mutate, then future generations are able to withstand a little bit better, that which many of the previous generations could not withstand. That is MRSA. Staph bacteria's new distant cousin can survive and thrive when attacked with many different types of antibiotics which the weaker Staph cousins are unable to survive.

Over time, constant exposure to anti-biotics will only give the bacteria plenty of opportunity to practice getting their genetics right. So don't do that!


3. Be clean but not too clean.

It's best to bring out the guns when you have an active infection or you know you might have been exposed: Antiseptic hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes, etc. I have seen recomendations for shower/bath daily and at least once per week with anti-bacterial soap, however I continue to use the anti-bacterial soap daily. I do admit that many days I shower/bathe twice daily (short showers)...hmm.








However, just as bacteria adapt to antibiotics, they can also adapt to germicides... It only takes a couple of strong ones to live on, then soon you'll have a whole colony of "resistant" bacteria who just won't die! :-(

Very, very, scary!